Arisa Uotani
- Past Design = }} |-| Anime = - 2001 Anime = }} |kanji = 魚谷 ありさ |romaji = Uotani Arisa |aka = Uo-chan (by Tohru and Kyoko) Ane-san (by the Delinquent Trio) Yankee (by Kyo) |gender = Female |age = 16 (Beginning of the series) 18 (End of the series) |height = 168 cm / 5'6 |weight = 47 kg / 103.6 lb |hair color = Blonde (Manga & 2019 anime) Light Blonde (2001 Anime) |eye color = Brown (Manga & 2019 anime) Grey (2001 Anime) |blood type = O |year = Dog |astrological sign = Aquarius |occupation = Student |affiliation = Kaibara Municipal High School |parents = Unnamed Father Unnamed Mother |manga = Chapter 1 |anime = Episode 1 (2001) Episode 1 (2019) |japanese = Yuka Imai (2001) Atsumi Tanezaki (2019) |english = Parisa Fakhri (2001) Elizabeth Maxwell (2019) }} is one of the recurring characters of the Fruits Basket series. She is also known by her nickname . She is one Tohru Honda's best friends. A former gang member who joined an all-girls gang called The Ladies in fifth grade, Arisa idolized Kyoko Honda's reputation from her gang days. When she personally met Kyoko and Tohru in middle school, she was shocked by Kyoko's change from a gang-leader into a doting mother. However, they became friends after Kyoko helped her escape from her gang. With her other best friend Saki Hanajima, Arisa swore on Kyoko's grave to look after Tohru, and in their "parental" protection of Tohru, noted by Kyo Sohma and Yuki Sohma, Arisa is depicted as the brash and direct father-figure. When Arisa meets Kureno Sohma, she is instantly attracted to him. After their second meeting, he refuses to see her again because of his promise to stay with Akito Sohma. When Kureno leaves Akito, Arisa helps him move out from the Sohma compound, telling him that she has been waiting for him all this time. It is later revealed that she is preparing to move in with him. Appearance Arisa is a fair-skinned teenage girl of average build and above average height with brown eyes (blue in the 2001 anime). She is known for her tall stature, yet wishes to be even taller. She has straight, shoulder-length (waist-length in the 2001 & 2019 anime) blonde hair, which she either leaves untied or into a low ponytail at the back. She has long, "M-shaped" bangs which frame her face and occasionally cover her right eye. Sometimes, she wears hairclips to clear her bangs from her face. Arisa is often depicted in her standard school uniform, with a purple shirt underneath and a rather long skirt which goes down to her ankles. Outside of school, she likes wearing purple nail polish, 3/4 sleeves, as well as Kyoko's former Red Butterfly uniform, which she received from the latter herself in the past. Personality As a young, troubled teenager, Arisa used to be very grumpy, violent, and developed anger issues from a young age. She hated the terms "peaceful" and "kind", to such an extent that Kyoko and Tohru’s happy home life sickened her because she herself had been abandoned by her mother and neglected by her father. However, after Kyoko and Tohru helped her turn her life around and quit her gang, Arisa went through a significant change. Arisa is a fun-loving, cool, tough, and stand-offish former gang-member who always tries to get some fun out of something, even when things seem to get rough. While she can be short-tempered and aggressive, traits she shares with Kyo, she is surprisingly very emotional and cries easily about things most people wouldn't; such as Tohru showing up in her old swimsuit from middle school (despite it being a matter of practicality), and again when she thinks about old people buying their meals at a convenience store (even though she admits they must think nothing of it). According to Kureno, Arisa is a very honest and expressive girl who wears her emotions on the sleeve; she cries when she's sad, laughs when she's happy, and yells when she's mad. While she is occasionally aloof and emotionally closed off, she is warm, friendly, and deeply loyal towards her friends and loved ones. Arisa also acts like a big sister figure, and while she has moved on from her past, she never forgot what it taught her. She uses her own experience being a gang-member to help other people, such as lecturing three middle school-aged yankee wannabes. This proved to be effective, as they began respecting Arisa and even began calling her Ane-sama. On the other hand, she is frigid and hostile towards anyone that gets on her nerves, primarily the Prince Yuki Fan Club, and even occasionally brings out a metal pipe whenever she feels the need to protect Tohru. Arisa is noted to be very direct, tomboyish and even uses the pronoun "boku" (which is normally a masculine pronoun in Japanese). She is brash, headstrong, never beats around the bush, and isn't easily shamed. For instance, she casually says things the other characters become embarrassed at; such as when Kyo yells at her for mentioning underwear when they were shopping for a swimsuit for Tohru. History Early Life Arisa's mother got a new boyfriend and left Arisa when she was very young, leaving Arisa in the care of her alcoholic father. Arisa joined a gang called 'The Ladies' in 5th grade, and according to Tohru Honda, she was always wearing long skirts and a mask.Fruits Basket (2019 Anime): Episode 16: She Said Don't Step on Them! She claims she took too many drugs when she was younger, so medications have no effect on her. When Kyo asked her what she means by "different drugs", she immediately changed the topic.Fruits Basket (2019 Anime): Episode 12: You Look Like You're Having Fun. Meeting Tohru and Kyoko Honda Arisa had always looked up to Tohru's mother, Kyoko Honda, who had been known as the Red Butterfly. After finding out The Butterfly's daughter might go to her school, she went to school hoping she could meet Kyoko through her daughter. But when she met Tohru, she was going to punch her teeth out because she didn't believe such a 'spacey, plain girl' could be Kyoko's daughter. When Arisa did meet Kyoko, who had become a loving 'housewife', her entire image of her came crashing down. Though Arisa vowed to stay away from the Hondas, she kept ending up at their house through a chain of coincidences. Before she knew it, she and Tohru were best friends, and Arisa even started going to school again so she could see more of Tohru. Arisa decided to leave her gang so that she "could become someone Tohru would be proud to call her friend".Fruits Basket (2019 Anime): Episode 17: This is for Uo-chan! In response to the declaration, she was beaten half to death by her gang. But during the beating Kyoko appeared and saved her. Kyoko explained that Arisa's senpai (in gangs, a higher-ranking member) came to Kyoko's house and told her Arisa's decision and that she Kyoko was impressed by Arisa's action. Meeting Saki Hanajima In Arisa's next year of middle-school, she and Tohru met Saki, and the trio has been a team ever since. Story Overview Fruits Basket First Year Arc Arisa and Saki's first appearance was when Minami was threatening Tohru, and demanding to know why she came to school with Yuki. Arisa appears behind Minami saying, "She said it was a coincidence. Stop fantasizing and get a life". When Minami makes a comment about how Arisa was trying to act tough, Saki threatens to use her electro-poison waves, which sends Minami running. Arisa then hugs Tohru, and tells Saki not to use her electro-poison waves, for they might hit Tohru.Fruits Basket (2019 Anime): Episode 1: I'm Going Second Year Arc Third Year Arc Epilogue Arisa and Kureno Sohma talked over the phone. She confessed to Kureno that she would follow wherever he goes. It is presumed that they get together. The Three Musketeers Arc She is seen accompanying Kyo and Tohru on their first date along with Saki.Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc, Chapter 3 Differences from the source material Trivia *According to the official Fruits Basket Character Book: **Arisa likes tight clothes. When she was in the gang, she covered her skin completely, but since her "reform", she's started wearing things that are more revealing. **Arisa's style is heavily influenced by Kyoko, but she still prefers long skirts. Natsuki Takaya thinks it's too bad, since she mentions that Arisa has "great legs". **She lives with her father in a one-room apartment with a dining and kitchen area. *Her manga symbol is a fish, the meaning of the first kanji (魚) of her family name. *Arisa wishes to reach 180 cm (6 feet) in height. **Because of her tall stature, Tohru thinks she could become a model. *She uses the pronoun "boku", which is normally a masculine pronoun in Japanese (see Gender differences in spoken Japanese). es:Arisa Uotani fr:Arisa Uotani Category:Characters Category:Fruits Basket Characters Category:Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc Characters Category:Female